Pistons set to honor 'heart' of Bad Boys by retiring Dennis Rodman's jersey

AP File PhotoDennis Rodman was a relentless rebounder with the Pistons.

AUBURN HILLS -- The heart is an important part of any body. It keeps the blood pumping. Life depends upon it.

Without the heart, well, nothing else can happen.

So when old teammates of former Detroit Pistons forward Dennis Rodman call him "the heart" of the Bad Boys teams that won NBA championships in 1989 and 1990, it should be seen as high praise.

The Pistons will honor Rodman tonight when they retire his No. 10 jersey at halftime of their game against the Chicago Bulls. Many of his former Bad Boys teammates are expected to be there, including Joe Dumars, Isiah Thomas, Rick Mahorn, James Edwards and John Salley.

Salley spoke about Rodman during an interview Saturday at The Palace.

"He was the heart of the Pistons," he said. "He was the heart of our team. Isiah was the mentality of the team. Bill Laimbeer was the policeman of the team. Joe Dumars was the calm of the team. I was the court jester. James Edwards was the prolific scorer. Mark Aguirre was probably one of the greatest talents. But Dennis Rodman was the heart of the team. Definitely."

Dumars, the Pistons president of basketball operations, agreed with Salley’s assessment of his former teammate known as "the Worm."

"Dennis was very instrumental to our success," Dumars said. "I don’t think we could have done it without him. He was definitely the heart of those teams, and that’s why it’s so good to see him being honored now."

On the court, Rodman was known as an aggressive defender, a relentless rebounder and a guy who could energize teammates and fans with his effort, his energy and his charisma. He averaged more than 18 rebounds per game two times for the Pistons (1991-92, 1992-93), went to two All-Star games (1990, 1992) and was named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year two times (1990, 1991).

Off the court, Rodman was known for other things, although the majority of his antics took place after his days with the Pistons. Rodman was known for his tattoos, his body piercings and his ever-changing hair color. For wearing a wedding dress. For having a brief relationship with Madonna and an even shorter marriage to Carmen Electra.

Dennis Rodman

In his brightest moments, he made fans smile in arenas across the country. In a dark moment in April 1993, he sat in his truck in The Palace parking lot with a shotgun on his lap, contemplating suicide.

"From the outside, I had everything I could want," Rodman wrote in his book, "Bad as I Wanna Be." "From the inside, I had nothing but an empty soul and a gun in my lap."

When Rodman joined the Pistons as a 25-year-old rookie out of Southeastern Oklahoma State University in 1986, he was shy and naïve to the business side of the NBA. The realities of the league changed him during his time in Detroit.

"This guy literally believed this was a family," Salley said. "He couldn’t understand why guys were going to get traded and why Chuck (Daly) was released. He was oblivious to reality at that time. He was stuck in this Piston world with just one family. Then he was awakened that it was a family business. That’s when he started to realize it was all business.

"When he was here ... it was do or die -- red, white and blue."

That do-or-die attitude is a legacy of Rodman’s that will last forever.

Greg Monroe, who currently wears the No. 10 jersey worn by Rodman, was born in 1990, so he has no firsthand memories of Rodman playing during his Pistons days. But he saw Rodman play during his later years in the NBA.

The Worm made a lasting impression.

"I remember he played with a lot of energy," Monroe said. "Obviously, he was a great rebounder, one of the best rebounders to ever play the game. A defensive player of the year. I remember his crazy hairstyles, but I definitely remember the things he did to help his team win."

Dumars does, too.

"Just a great guy, a great teammate and I loved playing with him," Dumars said. "A special person, a special talent. He is one of the all-time great Pistons, without a doubt."

Rodman has about 35,000 followers on Twitter, but he doesn’t utilize the social-media tool very often. In fact, he has sent out just six Tweets in the past two months.

But he got right to the point in a heartfelt message in the wee hours of Thursday morning.